House Sparrow

SCI Name:  Passer domesticus
Protonym:  Fringilla domestica Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.183
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Passeridae / Passer
Taxonomy Code:  houspa
Type Locality:  Sweden.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

PASSER
(Passeridae; Ϯ House Sparrow P. domesticus) L. passer, passeris  sparrow; "Rostro in apicem crassum & brevem exeunte; { Rostri basi capiti latitudine multo cedente. . . . . .Passer. Genus 33.   ...   XXXIII. Genus Passerinum.  Le genre du Moineau.  ...  1. LE MOINEAU FRANC  ...  PASSER DOMESTICUS.  ...  Ils se nourrissent de graines & d'Insectes. Ils font leur nid dans les trous des murs." (Brisson 1760): based on "Passer" and "Passer domesticus" of many authors (Brisson lists over 20 species and forms of 'Moineau'); "Passer Brisson, 1760, Orn., 1, p. 36 [; 3, p. 71]. Type, by subsequent designation (Gray, 1840, List Gen. Birds, ed. 1, p. 46), Fringilla domestica Linnaeus." (Greenway in Peters 1962, XV, 8).  No thanks to positive introduction, the House Sparrow, with a natural Palaearctic and western Indomalayan range, is now found throughout the world as a commensal of man. If the New Zealand wrens (Acanthisittiformes) and the tyrants and allies (Subosciniformes) are separated from the Passeriformes sens. lat. the remaining species could be titled Osciniformes.
Synon. Ammopasser, Auripasser, Caffropasser, Chrysospiza, Corospiza, Leucophrya, Megapasser, Pseudostruthus, Pyrgita, Pyrgitopsis, Salicipasser, Sorella.

passer
L. passer, passeris  sparrow.

domestica / domesticus
L. domesticus  belonging to the house, domestic  < domus  house.
● "98. FRINGILLA.  ...  domestica.  27. F. remigibus rectricibusque fuscis, corpore griseo nigroque, fascia alarum alba solitaria.  Fringilla remigibus rectricibusque fuscis, gula nigra, temporibus ferrugineis. Fn. svec. 212.  Passer domesticus. Gesn. av. 643. Aldr. orn. l. 15. c. 10. Will. orn. 182. t. 44. Raj. av. 86. Alb. av. I. p. 5. 9. t. 62. Frisch. av. . . t. 8. f. 1. 2. Olin. av. 42.  Habitat in Europa prope rura.  Salacissimus qui vigesies sæpe coit. Hortis pessima." (Linnaeus 1758) (Passer).
● ex “Golondrina domestica” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 300 (subsp. Progne chalybea).

SUBSPECIES

House Sparrow (domesticus)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus domesticus
domestica / domesticus
L. domesticus  belonging to the house, domestic  < domus  house.
● "98. FRINGILLA.  ...  domestica.  27. F. remigibus rectricibusque fuscis, corpore griseo nigroque, fascia alarum alba solitaria.  Fringilla remigibus rectricibusque fuscis, gula nigra, temporibus ferrugineis. Fn. svec. 212.  Passer domesticus. Gesn. av. 643. Aldr. orn. l. 15. c. 10. Will. orn. 182. t. 44. Raj. av. 86. Alb. av. I. p. 5. 9. t. 62. Frisch. av. . . t. 8. f. 1. 2. Olin. av. 42.  Habitat in Europa prope rura.  Salacissimus qui vigesies sæpe coit. Hortis pessima." (Linnaeus 1758) (Passer).
● ex “Golondrina domestica” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 300 (subsp. Progne chalybea).

House Sparrow (balearoibericus)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus balearoibericus
balearoibericus
L. Baliares or Baleares  Balearic Is.; Ibericus or more correctly Hibericus  Spanish  < Hiberia or Iberia  Iberia, Spain.

House Sparrow (tingitanus)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus tingitanus
tingitana / tingitanus
L. Tingitanus  of Tinge, Mauretania (= Tangiers, Morocco).

House Sparrow (rufidorsalis)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus rufidorsalis
rufidorsalis
L. rufus rufous; dorsalis (properly dorsualis) dorsal, of the back < dorsum back.

House Sparrow (niloticus)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus niloticus
nilotica / niloticus
L. Niloticus  of the River Nile  < Nilus  River Nile, Egypt.
● Egypt; ex Hasselqvist 1757, and “Egyptian Tern” of Latham 1785 (Gelochelidon).

House Sparrow (biblicus)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus biblicus
biblicus
Mod. L. biblicus of the Bible < French Bible < Late/Med. L. biblia Bible < Gr. βιβλια biblia books < βιβλος biblos papyrus, paper.

House Sparrow (indicus)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus indicus
indicus
L. Indicus  Indian  < India  India. In early ornithology the term Indiis was also applied to the East Indies and, less frequently, to the West Indies and the Guianas.
● India and Tibet; ex “Barred-headed Goose” of Latham 1787 (Anser).
● Erroneous TL. India (= South Carolina) (syn. Baeolophus bicolor).
● Java; ex “Javan Hawk” of Latham 1781 (Butastur).
● ex “Indian Goatsucker” of Latham 1787 (Caprimulgus).
● ex “Drongolon” of Levaillant 1805, pl. 174, and “Long-tailed Shrike” of Latham 1822 (syn. Dicrurus macrocercus).
● ex "Psittaca indica coccinea” of Brisson, “Perruche des Indes orientales” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 143, “Lori Perruche violet et rouge” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Indian Lory” of Latham 1781 (syn. Eos histrio).
● ex “Lohaujung Heron” of Latham 1787 (syn. Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus).
● ex “Eastern black Cuckow” of Lastham 1787 (syn. Eudynamys scolopaceus).
● ex “Grand Vautour des Indes” of Sonnerat 1782 (Gyps).
● ex “Indian Curucui” of Latham 1787 (?syn. Harpactes fasciatus).
● ex “Merle des Indes orientales” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 273, fig. 2 (syn. Lalage nigra).
● ex “Smallest red and green Indian Paroquet” of Edwards 1743-1751, “Psittacula indica” of Brisson 1760, and “Red and green indian Parrot” of Latham 1781 (syn. Loriculus beryllinus).
● ex “Indian Jacana” of Latham 1787 (Metopidius).
● ex “Little Hawk Owl of Ceylon” of Pennant 1769, and “Indian Eared Owl” of Latham 1781 (syn. Otus bakkamoena).
● ex “Gélinote des Indes” of Sonnerat 1776, and “Indian Grous” of Latham 1783 (Pterocles).
● ex “White-chinned Bustard” of Latham 1783, and “Passarage Bustard” of Latham 1787 (Sypheotides).
● ex “Rossignol de muraille des Indes” of Sonnerat 1782 (Tarsiger).
● ex “Bécassine blanche des Indes” of Sonnerat 1776, and “White indian Snipe” of Latham 1785 (?Tringa erythropus).
● Erroneous TL. India (= Gamtoos River, Cape Province, South Africa); ex “Indian Coly” of Latham 1787 (Urocolius).
● ex “Vanneau armé des Indes” of de Buffon 1770-1785 (Vanellus).
● ex “Little redwinged Parrakeet” of Edwards 1758-1764, and “Psittaca indica” of Brisson 1760 (unident.).
● India; ex “Sicrin” of Levaillant 1801, pl. 82 (artefact).

House Sparrow (hufufae)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus hufufae
hufufae
Hufuf, Hasa, eastern Arabia.

House Sparrow (bactrianus)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus bactrianus
bactriana / bactrianus
L. Bactrianus Bactrian (Bactria or Bactriana, an ancient country of Central Asia, roughly corresponding to modern Turkistan and Balkh, northern Afghanistan).

House Sparrow (hyrcanus)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus hyrcanus
hyrcana / hyrcanus
L. Hyrcanus  Hyrcanian, Caspian  < Hyrcani  a people of the Caspian Sea (Mare Hyrcanus).

House Sparrow (persicus)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus persicus
persicus
L. Persicus  Persian  < Persia  Persia / Iran.
● Not a toponym, but an allusion to the gaudy plumage of the Yellow-rumped Cacique; ex “Jupujuba” of Marcgrave 1648, and “Cassique jaune” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Cacicus cela).
● Erroneous TL. Persia (= Perthshire, Scotland) (syn. Lagopus lagopus scotica).
● Southern (i.e. Persian) shores of the Caspian Sea (Merops).
● At sea between Guadar (= Qatar) and Muscat (i.e. in the Persian Gulf) (Puffinus).
● ex “Persian Woodpecker” of Willughby 1676, and Latham 1782, “Picus luteus cyanopus persicus” of Ray 1713, and “Picus luteus persicus” of Brisson 1760 (unident.).
● ex “Persian Thrush” of Latham 1787 (unident.).

House Sparrow (parkini)
SCI Name: Passer domesticus parkini
parkini
Thomas Parkin (1845-1932) British naturalist, oologist (subsp. Passer domesticus).